CPL plans biggest supermarket in PNG

By MALUM NALU

The CPL Group, PNG’s largest retailing network, is looking at running the “biggest and best supermarket” in Port Moresby and Papua New Guinea, chairman Mahesh Patel said yesterday (Tuesday).

CPL chairman Mahesh Patel at yesterday’s presentation of its annual report and audited financial statement.-Picture by MALUM NALU

He revealed CPL’s ambitious plans when presenting the group’s 2011 annual report and audited financial statement at its head office at Gerehu Stage 6, Port Moresby.

Steamships Group of Companies will be building the supermarket at the Port Moresby Transport yard, just next to CPL’s Waigani Central Stop N Shop supermarket, and then leasing to CPL.

“We’re going to build the biggest and best supermarket in the country,” Patel said.

“It’s a multi-million dollar project that will take about 20 months to complete.”

Patel said Steamships had already given a contract to Fletcher to clear the land and build the supermarket.

“We project that we can open in Christmas 2013,” he said.

“Steamships own the land, they build, and we lease it.

“We will sign a 15-year lease.”

Patel said the new supermarket would be twice as big as CPL’s flagship Stop N Shop at Waigani Central, which has an area of 2,500 square metres.

He said it should not be compared to Vision City, which was a mega mall, as this would be a stand-alone supermarket.

“This thing (new supermarket) will be 5,000 square metres,” he said.

“It will be twice the size (of Waigani Central supermarket).

“It’s located where the Pom Trans (Port Moresby Transport) site is.

“There will be a few specialty stores.

“We’re looking at a number of new initiatives.”

CPL has established five strong retail brands: City Pharmacy, Stop N Shop, Hardware Haus, BonCafe and HomeMaker.

It opened in the first quarter of this year Paradise Cinema - PNG’s very first multiplex cinema which in on the third floor of Vision City. 

In 2011, the CPL Group had a combined retail operations of 54 stores nationwide which employed over 2,000 staff, of which 95% were Papua New Guineans.

Its retail network spans health and beauty chains, grocery, hardware stores, coffee shops and now a multiplex cinema.